


Empty Faces

by orphan_account



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Time Shenanigans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2016-08-16
Packaged: 2018-08-08 12:20:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7757659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You were so sure this time would be the last time, but you were sure last time. You'll be sure next time, and the time after that. Your DETERMINATION keeps you strong, keeps you going. You'll find the ending where everyone survives, where you don't lose yourself in the haze of battle and wind up with another monster's dusted body coating your hands. You'll take on the burdens of dying again and again and again until you find this happy end.</p><p>At least, that was the plan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

You've long since lost your wonder for this coridor, accepting the wonderous arcitecture at face value. The marble pillars, so meticulously carved; the spotless tiles, organic swirls patterned in the stone. Truely this place was beautiful, but you couldn't see that anymore.

You'd never be able to see this hallway in the beauty it was meant for.

These coridors have seen you die so many times. The cold an unforgiving arches bring your heart into a frantic state now, hammering in your throat and threatening to escape.

"How many times have we done this, kid?"

The skeleton at the end of the hall has his hands shoved in the pockets of his hoodie, his dark eyes missing their glowing pupils. His voice sounds strained, almost pained, clearly not wanting to hear the answer. Your head hangs slightly, dark brown locks falling forward and covering your face. It's getting harder to do this, but he'll help. He promised.

"Shit kid, we've almost got it. I know it."

You can feel your sins crawling all over you, however minor it may seem. Sans pulls his hands from his pockets and, after a moments hesitation, places them awkwardly on your shoulders. An attempt at comfort, you could only guess, but it couldn't stop the trembling.

"The hotlands." You say finally, throwing a well worn and heavily burnt frying pan to the ground with a clatter that fills the coridor for only a moment. Sans grimaces as monster dust smears down the tiles as it slides away in a thick coat.

"You really have quite a _skillet_ finding weapons."

You crack a bleak smile, Sans really was awful at comforting you. No matter how many times he actually tried to do it.

"I'll get rid of it in the next run, things will _pan_ out in our favor this time. For sure."

Your smile widens a touch, maybe awful was too strong a word.

"You still need to tell me how you managed to weaponize a notebook, it's killing me to buy out Gerson's stock every reset."

You take it back.

"You'll get it all right? Hide them so I can't find them?" Your voice cracks, you fear leaking through.

"Yeah kid, we've got quite the list going right now. I won't forget any of them. Gotta use those notebooks for something, amiright?"  
This time you frowned, tugging at the hem of your sweater. Your heart was too soft, too merciful maybe, but every time you woke up with dust on your hands, a screaming monster in your ears, your soul forcibly ripped from your chest into combats you wanted no part of... It wore on you. There had to be a way to stop yourself from killing monsters, to make sure everyone, and you meant _everyone_ , could leave the underground.

"Asgore would understand if you had to... you know. We've killed humans too, we've got their souls to prove it."

Sans gave an uncomfortable shift in posture, hands once again shoved inside his pockets. Finally you lift your head up to look at him, despite his sockets not meeting your gaze. You wouldn't do that. You wouldn't let one monster soul's dust cover your hands.

"Might be easier if we could figure out why you black out 'round..." He gives a fugitive glance to the dust covered frying pan and goes quiet. There's a large stash somewhere, things you used in the past that isn't anymore. The silent monster before you promised he'd hide them well, somewhere you'd never find them. You never went looking for them, but you never found them either.

"This time for sure."

His hand raises.

You hear him exhale and you close your eyes.

And died.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This is my first Undertale fic spawned by a wild idea after a late night of a serious fic binging, a few friends, and an endless supply of Undertale music. Updates will be sporatic unfortunately, as my inspiration and motivation don't always coincide. However! If you like what you see please bug me to continue, that's literally the best way to get me off my ass and write.
> 
> I'll try my best though, see you next time!


	2. Hiding Knives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we go again, knives first. They're always first. Before the kid can get to them and ruin everything again.

"Wait, don't tell me, it's cinnamon isn't it?"

Toriel looks pleased with herself as she listens to the kid's answer on the other end of the cellphone, pacing about her cozy little kitchen in a rush as she gathers up her cooking supplies. She pauses over a mixing bowl, her expression turning softer than the butter she had melting over the stove.

"Funny, it seems like I already know your preferences, as though I'm meeting an old friend for the first time... Please just wait a little while longer dear child, I've almost finished."

Sans snorts air through his nasal hole, funny since he lacked the organs primarily required to snort at all. He knew, as he'd seen so many times before, almost was used in the loosest sense of the term; the oven wasn't even preheating yet. And in just a few moments- there she goes realizing that. He snickered to himself watching the self appointed caretaker of the ruins busy herself with her baking.

_"What will you do when you finally end these loops?" Sans asked, sitting with the kid against the wall of Judgement Hall while they gathered themselves for the next reset. Of all things a pair of ballet slippers lay discarded as far as they could have possibly flung it from themselves.  
"I'd like to stay with Toriel."_

_Their answer had no hesitation, decisively said. Obviously, they'd put some thought into this question already._

_"_ Goatta _admit, her baking makes me wanna stay with her too."_

_They smiled at that, relaxing from the tight ball they'ed curled themselves into on the floor._

_"She reminds me of my mom."_

_"Humans have moms?"_

_“Yep, dad's too.”_

_“Huh. Monster school system would have you believe humans happen.”_

_“Happen when?”_

_“Just happen.”_

Sans smiles to himself. Frisk wasn't a bad kid, they'd make a great child to Toriel's innate mothering complex.

Just as soon as she left the kitchen so he could steal all the knives.

“Go on boy, go get it.”

The little white dog who barely came up to his kneecaps tore out of his arms, leaping at Toriel in a tail wagging fury to snatch her phone. Good dog, he'll have to remember to give the pooch a few extra pets later. Once the shouting Goat Mother was out of earshot, he set to work. He knew this routine by heart by now, the middle cupboard had the stray parring knife he missed the first time, the dish rack had the one hidden under the sauce pan, and if he hid the wood block after pilfering the rest Toriel wouldn't question her missing utensils.

Best not to linger here too long, Toriel was becoming frighteningly quick at catching the pup and her phone. He'd already realized by now, some part of her remembered the resets. That much was apparent when she remembered Frisk's pie-preferences.

“A strange dog had kidnapped my phone-”

Toriel was returning, much sooner than he'd expected, given that he was expecting her to come sooner than she had last time already. With only a moments notice to spare he took a, quote unquote, _shortcut_ , out of the house to the stretch of lawn just before it, plush red leaves pulled in carefully cultivated piles. Strange Toriel would _leaf_ the piles around when she could just burn away the debris.

Sans makes a point to mentally stow away that pun for later, she'll love it for sure.

“Sans?”

The kid stands behind him, head tilted in question. 

“Where's Toriel? She's always out here as soon as I get back.”

“Heh. That's what happens when you mess with time kid, thing's stop being predictable.”

Frisk's face turns thoughtful, before they give a solid frown.

“That's not a good thing...”

“Doesn't have to be a bad thing, sweetheart.” There was a pause, a stretch silence that was just a bit too long. Maybe if the words hung in the air long enough, he'd start to believe them too. “Enjoy your pie.”

In a flash of static and magic, Sans's shortcut neatly folds reality together as he moves through it. Snowdin's lone shop looms behind him, it's lone shop keeper somehow suspecting he'd be in at any moment.

His money feels heavy in his pocket.

It's gonna be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Usually I try to make my chapters at least 2k words long, but I'm going to attempt to give quality over quantity for this one. Let the chapters end where it feels natural rather than trying to stretch out my word count. Hopefully that'll help me actually finish a fic for once, but unlike my others I have an idea of how to get from point a to point b. See you next time guys!
> 
> Also Dakota's going to kill me for not updating With Friends Like These first.
> 
> Please don't kill me Kotes I'm working on it ^^;


End file.
